Valve lifter



. J. SUNNEN VALVE LIFTER Filed Aug. 9, 1921 Inveni-or.

Joseph Sunnen an adjusting screwrotatably seated in the Patented Apr.24, 1923.

JOSEPH SUNNEN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

VALVE LIFTER.

Application filed August 9, 1921. Serial No. 490,968.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JosnPH SUNNEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Valve Lifters, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description,- such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it apperta-ins to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part ofthis application' My invention relates to valve lifters and is animprovement upon the valve liftersdisclosed in United States LettersPatent No. 1,369,142 dated February 22, 1921.

The objects of the present invention are to provide a valve lifter ofthe class disclosed in the above patent and provided with oppositelydisposed adjusting members seated in and projecting outwardly from theopposite ends of each jaw and adjustable so that said jaws can becontracted and expanded laterally.

Further. objects of my invention are to provide a tubular membernonrotatably seated in one end of the jaw and havingthreaded engagement-with the threaded end of opposite end of said jaw, said tubular memherand said adjusting screw projecting inwardly from said jaw whereby theouter sides of the 'jaws'are devoid ofany projections large enough tointerfere when the device is being used.

Still further objects of my invention are to generally improve andsimplify the construction, and cheapen the cost of manufacture andassembling of valve lifters of the class described. I

With the foregoingand other objects in view, my invention consists incertain novel features of construction and arrangementof partshereinafter more fully described and claimed in the accompanyingdrawings, in

which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a valve lifter of my improvedconstruction.

Figure 2 is a top view of the same.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross section taken on the line 33 of Figure-1.

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of the tubular threaded member anda portion of the jaw showing-the seat therefor.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings, designates the upperjaw member comprising substantially parallel ends 11 connected at theirrear portions by a base plate 12. -Projecting forwardly from this plateand disposed below said ends 11 are a pair of lugs or ears 14 to whichis pivotally mounted by means of pin or rivet 15 the lower jaw member 16which comprises substantially parallel ends 17 having a rear or baseportion 18. This base portion has an upwardly extending projection 19which occupies a position between the ends 11 and immediately in frontof the base plate 12. A screw 20 has threaded engagement with the baseplate 12 and the threaded end thereof projects forwardly and inwardlywithin jaw member 10 and bears against the upward projection 19 of thelower jaw member 16.

In order to provide sufficient bearing for screw 20, an internallythreaded tubular member 21 can be fixed tothe base plate 12 to form athreaded seatffor screw 20. The outer or free end of screw 20 isprovided with suitable projections 22 whereby said screw can beconveniently manipulated. The lower edges'of ends 11 are turned inwardlyto form horizontally disposed flanges 11 which are adapted to engage aspring washer carried by the lower-stem of a valve stand. The loweredges of ends 17 of jaw member 16 are provided with horizontallydisposed inwardly projecting flanges 17? which are designed to rest onthe portion of the cylinder casting immediately below the valve stem oron parts associated with'the valve push rod, 2 W V Inasmuch as thevalves of the various makes of automobiles vary in size and the spaceavailable for positioning the lower jaw adjacent to the push rod varies,in some cases being very limited, provision is made-for of shankportions 26 formed integral with.

tubular members and seatedin seats 27 formed in the corresponding endsof said jaws In order to retain tubular members 25 in their respectivepositions, the ends 26 of shank portion 26 are bent transversely so asto bear against the. outer walls of the jaw ends in which shank portions26 are seated.

' In the operation of my device, the valve litter is placed inpositiomas shown in Figure 1, with the ends 17 of the lower aw restingon thecylinder casting or other stationary support and the ends 11 ofthe upper jawlO engaging the underside of the spring washer fixed to thevalve stem of the valve which it is desired to lift. By turning screw inthe proper direction, jaw member 10 is caused to rock on the pivot 15 sothat the ends 11 are moved upwardly to compress the valve spring andraise the valve stem and the valve carried thereby.

In order to adjust laterally the ends 11 of jaw member 10 and the'ends17 of jaw mem ber 16, screws 24: are turned in proper direction causingthe ends of the respective jaw members to move towaros each other, andvice versa, by virtue of the fact that the threaded end' of each screw24 is in threaded engagement with the tubular memher non-rotatablycarried by the opposite end of the respective jaw.

A- valve litter constructed according tomy invention isinexpensive tomanufacture, can be easily and quickly assembled, and having no outwardpro ections on its valve engaging ends, can be used in engines havingvery restricted space in which to operate.

It will be readily understood that minor changes in the s ze, i'orm andconstruction of the various parts of my improved valve lifter may bemade and substituted for those herein shown and described, withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, the scope-of which is setforth in the follow ing claims.

I claim:

l. -A valve lifter comprising a pair of jaws pivotally'connected attheir base portions, means carried by'one of said jaws and operiyengaging the other jaw for moving jaws about their pivotal connection,and means seated in the opposite ends of each jaw and projectinginwardly therefrom toward each other to form operative engagement foradjusting the ends of each jaw laterally.

A valve lifter comprising a pair of U-shap'ed jaw members pivotallyconnected at their base portions, means screw-seated in the'base portionof one of said jaws and engaging the base portion of the other jawwhereby said jaws can be adjusted relative to each other, a memberrotatable in one end of each jaw and projecting inwardly towards theopposite end, an inwardly projecting member non-rotatably seated in saidoppositcend of each jaw and in threaded engagement with said rotatablemember whereby the respective ends of each jaw can be adjusted laterallyrelative to each other by manipulating said rotatable member. V 3. Avalve litter comprising a pair of U-shaped jaw members pivotally'connected adjacent to their base sections, an adjustingmemberscrew-seated in the base section of the outer jaw member andhaving its inner end engaging the base portion of the inner jaw memberwhereby said jaw members can be adjusted relative to each other, athreaded member rotatably carried by one end of each jaw, member, and atubular member nonrotatably carried by the opposite end of each-jaw,member and in threaded engagement with its corresponding threadedmember, whereby by the turning of said threaded member, the ends'of eachjaw can be adjusted laterally.

at. A valve lifter comprising a pair of U-shaped members pivotallyconnected adjacent to their base portions, means "foradjustingsaid'U-shaped members, relative to their pivotal connection, arotatably threaded member extending inwardly from one end, of each jawmember, and an internally threaded sleeve adapted; to receive thethreaded end of said rotatable member and provided with a shank portionnon-circular in cross section which engages a non-circular seat formedin the opposite end of: each jaw member. I I j a I In testimony whereofI hereunto afiix my signature this sixteenth day of July, 1921.

JOSEPH SUN NEN.

